New Legal Reform: Pregnancy Outside Wedlock in the UAE 2021

Dubai Explorer January 18, 2022 pregnancy outside wedlock in dubai

There has been a new legal reform in the UAE regarding the “Pregnancy Outside Wedlock”. Before this law was amended, any kind of sexual relationship before marriage was illegal, and the couple could have faced serious penalties, including imprisonment for a long time.

Also Read: What Every Tourist Needs To Know About Marriage Requirements in Dubai

What are the new Legal Reforms?

Any couple who conceives a child or get pregnancy outside wedlock will need to marry, singly, or jointly acknowledge the child and provide identification papers or travel documents in compliance with the laws of the origin country where the child is from. If couples do not comply with these conditions, they will still be charged criminally and face two years in jail. This new legal reform will take effect on January 2, 2022. It was considered to be a crime out of love till 2020.

How does it affect the Expats?

Some expats living in Dubai are welcoming this law. However, this might be good for simple cases such as single couple’s residents or legal workers. But what if one of them or both the parents are already married? Is it still illegal? The answer is we do not know. Since the Court has not put any light on such a case, the picture of this entire situation is still unclear.

Court Ruling

The UAE is a Muslim country, and as a neighbor, governments used to penalize premarital sexual relationships that were consensual. A child most often evidenced this. Women are not jailed anymore for premarital sexual relations, but new births require the parents to sign a marriage certificate. Health insurers do not offer maternity coverage to unmarried women.

What Legal Experts Suggest?

The picture is still blurry regarding the healthcare securities for unborn children. It is best advised that the couple get married as soon as possible to avoid any further complications in the UAE. Legal experts suggest that couples should either get legally married in the UAE court or out of the country in the initial stage of pregnancy.

Also Checkout:

You might need to wait a long time to get the marriage date in the UAE court. It would be much more feasible to get married outside the country. It will save your time as well as reduce legal effort. Georgia is one of the best wedding destinations near Dubai. It is inexpensive and will make the process hassle-free for couples.